What is Sinful Judgment? Matthew 7:1 Revisited, by Mads Fredskilde

Mads Fredkilde is a brilliant Danish brother who for some years has been living in Quito, Ecuador. We first met in London. Or was it Stockholm or Copenhagen?

Mads's paper has been adapted from a project he recently completed for his university work.

“Do not judge” (Matthew 7:1) is not only a command given by Jesus, but it is among the very pillars of the Christian faith, established in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Most of the commands given in this famous sermon, like “Do not murder” and “Do not commit adultery,” descend from Old Testament commands, but the command not to judge seems of a different kind. How are we to understand “Do not judge” in the prior context of Judaism, where judgment of others according to the law often was seen as the expectation of God's people?